Plastic container



March 16, 1965 P L 3,173,581

PLASTIC CONTAINER Filed Feb. 2, 1962 FIG.3

FlG. l

nn-u i v FIG. 4

Q i 2 INVENTOR:

JAN PEL 14 72 PM k1.

HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent iii-ice 3,173,581 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 PLASTIC CONTAHNER Jan Pel, Spiikenisse, Netherlands, assignor to Shell Gil Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 179,671 Claims priority, application Nestherlands, Feb. 14, 1961,

,22 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-143) The invention relates to a plastic container of the type frequently used for the air-tight storage of liquids. After filling such a container the filling opening is usually sealed.

When the liquid has to be used, two diametrically opposite holes have to be pierced or punched in the cover or upper surface of the container. One hole enables the liquid to flow out and the other serves to admit air to the top.

Holes can be pierced in a sturdy tin without forcing the liquid out of the first hole when the second is made, but there is some difliculty in making the holes in a compressible plastic container. After one opening has been made, only a slight pressure on the upper or side wall is required for a part of the liquid to spurt out. Consequently, some liquid is usually spilt when the second hole is pierced or punched.

The object of the invention is to overcome this drawback.

To this end the upper peripheral rim is provided with two or more narrow closed plastic spouts arranged diametrically opposite each other.

In order to pour out the contents it is only necessary to cut open the spouts with scissors. In this operation no pressure is exerted on the container, so that no liquid is spilt.

In a preferred embodiment, the spouts may also be provided with a nick to give the scissors a better grip.

In order to illustrate the invention, an embodiment of the container will be described with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a top view.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of an elevation view of the container taken on line II-II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a closed spout.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a closed spout.

According to the invention a cylindrical container 1 of flexible plastic material with a slightly profiled bottom 2 and an upper surface provided with reinforcing rims 3, 4 provided with two closed spouts 5 in the rim 4 which are diametrically opposite and made of the same material as the container and of which the outer walls are in line with the outer Wall of the container. The spouts 5 are relatively wide at the bottom and converge towards the top. Instead of two, four or more spouts may be provided.

To empty the container it is preferable to take scissors or pincers and to cut off the top from the two spouts.

In order to be sure that the scissors grip immediately, in a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the spouts are provided with a nick 6 on both sides.

The spouts and the bottom profile of the container are so shaped that the containers can be readily stacked, the stacked containers even nesting better than containers not provided with spouts.

In particular, by reference to FIG. 2 it will be seen that a peripheral face '7 of the bottom 2 is so inclined that the inclined inner face 8 of the spouts 5 fit snugly thereto.

I claim as my invention:

A liquid dispensing container construction comprising: an all plastic hollow unit having a cylindrical side wall, a substantially flat top end wall having a concentric reinforcing rim therein and profiled bottom end wall, a reinforcing peripheral rim joining the top end wall to the cylindrical wall, two upwardly extending closed narrow spouts in said last peripheral rim, said spouts having inclined inner faces and located diametrically opposite each other and being provided with indentations in the sidewalls thereof, said bottom end wall having an inclined peripheral face substantially complementary to the inclined inner faces of the closed narrow spouts whereby axially aligned stacking of the cylindrical container units is facilitated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,542,180 2/51 Chemlinski 229-17 2,626,834 1/53 North 222-466 2,723,060 11/55 Ricke 222566 2,833,452 5/58 Drummond et al. 222l43 X 2,893,611 7/59 Akers 222541 FOREIGN PATENTS 286,187 6/31 Italy.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner. 

